Pay up or go to prison, fraud suspect warned

The man accused of defrauding a businessman of some €750,000 was yesterday given an ultimatum by a magistrate to pay up or be jailed in connection with another two other cases of fraud he is involved in.

Magistrate Antonio Mizzi issued the warning to unemployed Joseph Friggieri, 45, from Msida after one of his alleged victims, Joseph Calleja, said his case had been going on for 11 years and yet he was not even given a cent from €25,630 he was owed.

Mr Friggieri is also accused of defrauding Sandro Maggi of about €11,000.

The sitting began with defence lawyer Charmaine Cherrett declaring that Mr Friggieri was ready to pay €3,000 to Mr Calleja on Tuesday. He would then pay monthly instalments.

Mr Calleja told the magistrate that empty promises were the order of the day and he did not trust anything the accused said.

His lawyers, Adrian Delia and Charisse Ellul, said that while they were ready to accept the proposal made by Dr Cherrett any failure by the accused to keep his word would result in them taking all necessary action against him.

Magistrate Mizzi told the accused that if he failed to pay up he might as well turn up with a suitcase at the next sitting because he would be going straight to prison. He was given one week to settle the first instalment.

In another sitting, Mr Maggi said he was exasperated by the fact that it was taking so long to get paid by the accused.

Breaking down into tears, Mr Maggi said that the bank was threatening to repossess his house because the accused took everything from him. He said that even his children’s school was threatening to remove them because he had not paid school fees.

Magistrate Mizzi told him that although he fully understood the situation, throwing the accused in jail would not get him his money back.

When Mr Friggieri told the court that he would sell his car to pay Mr Maggi, Police Inspector Maurice Curmi, prosecuting, said that he had heard that before and did not believe him.

The magistrate gave Mr Friggieri three weeks to come up with money or face jail.

Last week, a court heard that Mr Friggieri had duped businessman Joseph Spiteri and his son Rodney into spending money on tenders and projects that turned out to be false.

The Spiteris testified that the total amount stood at about €750,000.

The case continues.